Arsenal's Marli Salmon Withdraws from England U18 Call-Up Due to Injury
Arsenal prospect Marli Salmon has been forced to step away from his first England Under-18 call-up after picking up an injury, cutting short what was shaping into a breakthrough fortnight for the young defender.
The 17-year-old made his first senior appearance of the season in Arsenal’s 4-2 EFL Cup win over Ipswich Town last Tuesday, a significant milestone for a player highly regarded inside the club’s academy. That outing looked like the perfect springboard into international duty, with Salmon named in Will Antwi’s England Under-18 squad for the first time.
He had been selected for a trio of friendlies against Colombia, Egypt and South Korea, the next step after four caps at Under-17 level. Instead, his debut at the higher age group will have to wait.
The Arsenal youngster has withdrawn from Antwi’s squad due to injury, with the exact problem yet to be disclosed. England have moved quickly, drafting in Chelsea defender Gabriel Sambou, who has already represented both Poland and England at youth level.
Salmon will now remain at Arsenal to focus on his recovery. If the issue proves minor, the plan is for him to return with the club’s Under-21s in Premier League 2 against Sunderland on October 10. That date could yet take on extra significance: it is the same day Mikel Arteta’s first team face Leeds in the Premier League, leaving open the possibility that Salmon is considered for senior involvement instead, should his fitness and form allow.
The setback comes against a wider backdrop of England withdrawals involving Arsenal players. On the same day Salmon pulled out of the Under-18s, Declan Rice withdrew from Thomas Tuchel’s senior England squad.
Rice’s absence is understood to be down to load management after a relentless spell of football. The midfielder played 55 games for Arsenal last season and featured seven times at the World Cup. He has already started six of Arsenal’s eight matches in the current campaign, including all five Premier League fixtures, prompting a decision to ease his schedule.
There was another fitness concern for club and country elsewhere, with defender Piero Hincapie left out of Ecuador’s latest squad amid doubts over his condition.
For Salmon, the picture is simpler: recover, reset, and pick up where he left off. A first Under-18 cap is only on pause. The question now is whether his next big step comes in Premier League 2 – or under the Emirates Stadium lights.
